When a business case exists to begin a process of change management the hard work should have already been completed. When you first begin the project you will in inundated with the huge amount of possible computer software solutions. The person in charge will often have other responsibilities and will soon lose interest or be overwhelmed. To stop this from happening there should be a clear schedule and the project manager should set aside at least one hour per day to discuss and write emails to potential vendors.

The first route for many in selection is to engage the potential vendors. Many turn towards the internet for this function and provide a basic search for the type of solution they require. However, soon they will find the list is nearly endless. A quick search of google, bing or yahoo can yield tens of thousands of potential websites. So how do you select the very best for your business from that list?

Well the good news is that there are some clear cut ways to sort the wheat from the chaff. Luckily computerised business software has now been around for decades and any systems that have not been adequate enough to survive have now failed to the wayside. So, that means there is a pretty good chance most of the systems you look at will at least be adequate or above. But you're not just looking for adequate right?

What your business should do is undertake a project. This means have someone specifically assigned to the role of discussing with potential vendors, partners and VAR's (Value Added Resellers). Having a clearly defined project manager will ensure the project does not fall to the wayside and get forgotten about. It will also ensure that a person inside your organisation is able to convey the different pros and cons of the system to your staff.

The next step would be to define your requirements. This means defining certain procedures you would like your next system to be able to do. In this example I will use a company deciding on business Software. This company may be interested in an Accounting Software which is also able to provide inventory management. Therefore they will need to define how they would envisage the process working between their inventory and their accounts. In most cases a demonstration of suitable software will give stakeholders an idea of how different systems undertake the process and will also help to fine tune your requirements and specifications.

One aspect which is rarely thought of throughout the process is considering the company’s customer service. If you are unable to speak with a real person over the phone, or see them in person then it may be not be surprising if things don’t change after you have purchased. Some software company's encourage personal contact while others do not.

In summary, this guide should give you an idea of how you can sort out the wheat from the chaff of business software as well as many other business systems you require.